PITTSFIELD — In 17th century England chimneys were cleaned by small boys, many of them orphans, who were often sold to chimney masters specifically to perform this task.
It was hard work and boys often became hesitant to climb up the maze-like shafts that were popular at the time. But when that happened, chimney masters provided a unique form of motivation. They would light a fire in the fireplace to keep them moving. That is how the phrase “light a fire under someone” came to be.
Thankfully, cruel motivational techniques like that one no longer exist. Chimney are now cleaned by adults, not children, and they use modern machines not brushes. It’s still a hard job. But it’s a gratifying profession for those who do it.
To find out what it’s like we recently spoke with John Koch (pronounced Cook) of Pittsfield, a certified master chimney sweeper. who owns how own business, Master Sweep and Repair. He has been plying his trade since the late 1970s.
THE EAGLE: How did you get involved in this business?
KOCH: When I was young a good friend of mine’s father got him interested in chimney cleaning. There used to be a magazine that’s still out there, Mother Earth. There was an ad then for August West (a then chimney cleaning franchise). It gave information on how to clean chimneys at the time. In the late ’70s wood burning became a much more popular item mainly because of the oil embargo. A lot of people started burning. They would just throw wood stoves into place and what would happen would be lot more fires more than there are now.
My good friend started this business and in 1978, 1979 I began helping him out. I decided to buy his equipment in 1984 or 1985 and I’ve been running it ever since.
THE EAGLE: Lots of people have perceptions of what chimney sweeps look like because of the way they’re portrayed in movies or on television, When you show up for a job do people expect you to look like the old time chimney sweep that Dick Van Dyke played in the movie Mary Poppins?
KOCH: It’s ingrained in people minds that you have a top hat and tails and a bunch of poles and a big wire brush and you jump from roof-to-roof.
THE EAGLE: Is chimney sweep an antiquated term, or is it still in use today?
KOCH: We’re chimney professionals. We’re certified chimney professionals with certification being part of the national Chimney Sweep Guild. But we’re certified chimney professionals.
THE EAGLE: But nobody really refers to use as chimney sweeps anymore, do they?
KOCH: Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure they do. We’re still chimney sweeps. We don’t jump on top of the chimneys like we used to. What we use now is a rotary cleaning system that utilizes drills and it does a wonderful job. I would have to scrub with a metal brush for a long time to compare the outcomes.
THE EAGLE: But you still go up on roofs occasionally, right?
KOCH: Oh, yeah. We still go up on the roof. It is still a necessity at times. We have ladders, harnesses, all the nine yards. [Using the rotary machine] we actually go up from the bottom most of the time. … We prefer to have a respirator that filters out all the dust and fine particulates with a face mask that blows clean air into you so you’re not getting any dust in your face. It is hazardous.
THE EAGLE: How old are you?
KOCH: I’m 64.
THE EAGLE: Based on what you’ve told me, this sounds like a physically demanding job. Why do you keep doing it ?
KOCH: I guess I like to make sure that my customers stay as safe as possible. I take pride in what we do. My son is following in my footsteps. If you don’t mind working hard there’s a lot of work out there. I like to say there’s a lot of people out there doing things to make sure that my job is always going to be there.
THE EAGLE: How important is it for someone to get their chimney cleaned?
KOCH: The National Fire Protection Association recommends that if you’re using your chimney it should be cleaned thoroughly. If you’re not using your chimney they recommend that it be inspected to make sure that there’s nothing in there.
John Koch, owner of Master Sweep and Repair, said he uses a rotary cleaning system that utilizes drills to clean chimneys. “I would have to scrub with a metal brush for a long time to compare the outcomes,” he said.
THE EAGLE: What’s usually in a chimney?
KOCH: Animals sometimes build nests in chimneys. I’ve found everything up there from ducks to pigeons to raccoons to even a fisher cat. We found one in a pathway about a year ago. My son took it out. He must have fallen in. He couldn’t get out. He was [dead]. If you’ve never seen a fisher cat, they’re pretty nasty. They’re pretty big animals.
I had a raccoon jump out while I was repairing a chimney in South Pittsfield earlier this year. I heard this chitter, chitter, chatter. I thought it might be a chimney swift. Chimney swifts are protected. At that point I would have had to stop.
THE EAGLE: What are chimney swifts?
KOCH: Chimney swifts are birds that like to nest inside chimneys.
THE EAGLE: Their natural habitat is chimneys?
KOCH: Chimneys, vertical shafts, vertical stone shafts. They actually put their nests on the side of the wall. If they’re in there you’re not supposed to do anything. If you kill them you’re subject to fines and actions. (Chimney swifts are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It is a federal offense to damage or remove their nests until the hatchlings have left.)
THE EAGLE: How dirty can you get doing this job?
KOCH: Your arms and your hands get very dirty. Sometimes you’ll have to change shirts in the middle of the day because you’re on your back inside a fireplace. I leave out a special basket, which is where my chimney clothes go.
THE EAGLE: What has to be cleaned inside a chimney to make it safe?
KOCH: What you’re building up is byproducts of burning wood. There are different stages of creosote. Stage one, two and three. Stage one is just a dry powder; stage two becomes a little more solid; stage three is a liquid glaze that is as hard as glass and very flammable. As it becomes more dark and more gooey that is the tar resins accumulating inside the chimney.
People have to make up their own minds when they want it cleaned. There are manufacturers who want your chimney looked at every two to four months. You can actually create enough creosote in 72 hours to have a chimney fire. It’s very, very rare but you can actually build up enough that you may have a flash fire.
THE EAGLE: What’s the hardest part of your job?
KOCH: There are a lot of hard parts to this job. The rotary system has made cleaning a little [easier]. It’s not as tough on the shoulders and the arms. Climbing is a big part of it. Lifting stoves that are heavy; they’re pretty much dead weight. That can be very difficult. Physically, you’ve got to be in pretty good shape.
THE EAGLE: What advice would give someone who wanted to do this?
KOCH: Take time to train. There’s a lot of material out there from National Fire Protection, the Hard Patio Brick Association, the National Chimney Sweep Guild, the Chimney Sweeps of America. There’s a lot of information on how to do it right. Then get with someone who does it and train. It’s a hands-on thing, for sure. I still run into things today that I have a hard time swallowing.
THE EAGLE: Is there a lot of work out there?
KOCH: I have a lot of things they need to be repaired quite frequently. That’s called job security, no doubt about that. I’m blessed, to be honest with you, that I can still do what I’m doing.